Philip Rodriguez (MACI ’12), Jesse Cleary-Budge (MATI ’12) and Dorottya Székely (MACI non-degree) travelled with their professor, Bill Weber, to Los Angeles recently for a very special training opportunity at the 5th International Olympic Committee World Conference on Women and Sport. Professor Weber was the chief interpreter for the event and provided the students with this unique opportunity to work with professional interpreters in a highly demanding situation.

The students say they were “inspired” to observe the seasoned professionals at works who also provided them with valuable insights and leads for professional networking. “Being able to observe professional interpreters at a real conference and getting the chance to put my skills to the test was a thrilling experience,” says Philip Rodriguez. He adds that “some of the speeches were quite a challenge,” but the group worked hard to get them right. “At the end of the conference, we were all very exhausted but returned home with the rewarding feeling that we are definitely on the right track and not too far away from becoming professional interpreters. This inspired us to work even harder during our last semester at MIIS.”

The Olympic Committee conference is what is called a “truly international” event where people rely heavily on interpreters to participate in meetings. The students were given an insight into interpreting for internationally known people such as Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, skater Michelle Kwan and the actress Geena Davis. “Some speakers we interpreted gave very moving and emotional speeches,” shares Philip, a challenging but rewarding experience that he and the others are grateful not to have “miis-ed.”